1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to an audio equipment carrier assembly for releasably mounting portable audio equipment on a support member of a vehicle, such as a bicycle or an aerobic exercise machine. More particularly, this invention relates to a removable audio equipment carrier assembly for containing portable audio equipment such as a personal radio, portable cassette stereo player, compact disc player and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Equipment carriers are attached to the handlebars of bicycles and have been used for storage of different supplies and for carrying large articles which could not be carried in the pockets of the bicycle operator. With the popularity of the Sony Corporation's Walkman-type radios, bicycle and aerobic exercise machine manufacturers and operators have wanted to provide an accessory for the operator to listen to music from such radios, compact disc players, etc.
However, there has been no place on a bicycle for carrying the bulk of the stereo equipment. The bicycle operator has attached the radio to his or her body. Such person wears the headphone set to receive the audio signals from the stereo. Problems have been experienced with this method, however, because the radio itself is too bulky to be easily mounted or attached to the body of the operator. Thus, persons have strapped the radio or other audio equipment to the front of the bicycle. These conventional devices have experienced some difficulties or problems when turning corners, hitting bumps in the road or sometimes from improperly being attached to the vehicle. Carrying devices produced by such prior methods are sometimes unstable due to the manner in which they are attached to the bicycle.
Conventional carrying devices are limited in that they are not useful for holding Walkman-style audio equipment on the bicycle during operation. One recent attempt has been made to provide a carrier assembly for audio equipment, with the assembly mounted on the handlebars of the vehicle and adapted to carry a Walkman-style personal radio.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,243 issued Jan. 1, 1991 to Rogowski discloses an audio equipment carrier assembly body adapted to receive and contain a Walkman-style personal radio, with the carrier assembly adapted to be mounted on the handlebars of a bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,901 issued Jul. 5, 1988 to Villanuena, et al discloses an audio equipment carrier with a pair of built-in speakers for personal portable radios, tape players and the like, with the carrier adapt to be clamped or mounted on the handlebar of a vehicle such as a bicycle.
The prior patents discussed previously, as well as other patents cited and discussed therein, mount the carriers directly onto the handlebar of the vehicle, such as a bicycle. In addition, each prior art device is designed for generally one type of equipment. As an example, the carrier disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,901 includes audio equipment having a pair of speakers which is mounted on the handlebar, with the speakers at opposite sides of the control stem to which the handlebar is affixed. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,243 has a generally rectangular case with an opening designed to receive a generally rectangular Walkman style radio. Thus, the carriers themselves dictate the type of audio equipment to be carried thereby.
The present invention is directed to an audio equipment carrier assembly which may support any number of differently configured portable stereo equipment such as radio, television, cassette player, portable dictating equipment and the like. In addition, the present invention locates the audio equipment carrier assembly by clamping it to the front beam (upper horizontal bar) of the bicycle or to the beam under the rider's seat (vertical seat post). The audio equipment may be used by a bicycle rider for enjoyment purposes with the assistance of earphones as is well known.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an audio equipment carrier assembly designed to hold and secure a wide variety of portable cassette stereo players to a bicycle and/or to an aerobic exercise machine by clamping the carrier assembly to the front beam (upper horizontal bar) or the beam under the rider's seat (vertical seat post) of the vehicle or bicycle. If so mounted, it provides to the rider of the bicycle maximum flexibility to operate the portable cassette stereo. The audio equipment carrier assembly is provided with good shock absorbing features in order to minimize music distortion and to insure smooth functioning of the portable cassette stereo equipment.